During the holiday, restrictions were relaxed and the social order inverted. Gambling was allowed in public. Slaves were permitted to use dice and did not have to work. . . Within the family, a Lord of Misrule was chosen. Slaves were treated as equals, allowed to wear their masters' clothing, and be waited on at meal time in remembrance of an earlier golden age thought to have been ushered in by the god. In the Saturnalia, Lucian relates that "During My week the serious is barred; no business allowed. Drinking, noise and games and dice, appointing of kings and feasting of slaves, singing naked, clapping of frenzied hands, an occasional ducking of corked faces in icy water—such are the functions over which I preside."

Although Saturnalia is ending, it's not too late to take advantage of the inversion of the social order. Professors switching places with students fits well with the Roman custom of slaves switching places with masters. So if any of my students want to grade the huge pile of Property exams currently awaiting my ministrations, you are more than welcome!

Personally, I'm waiting for Sol Invictus Day, but can do some celebrating between now and then.

So if any of my students want to grade the huge pile of Property exams currently awaiting my ministrations, you are more than welcome!

Scan them in, post them here, attach a poll underneath, and we'll grade from the comfort of our snowed-in homes. The comment sections alone ought to provide more feedback than a 1L will get from all of his other classes, combined.

Let me get this straight -- you lecture ~12 hours a week, probably spend another 12 prepping for class/ office hours/ answering student email, and get to spend the rest of your time researching/ writing/ blogging. And you're complaining about grading exams whose grades you need not post for another three weeks? I'll switch for the rest of the semester! It'd have to be more fun than teaching at an inner city high school. (When I think about dropping out of law school, I remember teaching and think how, no matter how bad things get, professors/judges won't get in my face and tell me to F-- off.)

Hmmmm.... very convenient timing for the professors, that the switch would require the students to do the professor's work, but not require the professor to do the student's work (i.e., actually TAKE the exam)...

There's very important work to be done by students at this time of year. Hot chocolate duty? Tough stuff - especially if you eschew that Swiss Miss garbage. Packing up and driving home? Mall-crawling at 4 am for Christmas presents, because finals don't leave time for that stuff? Don't even get me started on making batches of chocolate chip cookies and peppermint bark.

Hmmmm.... very convenient timing for the professors, that the switch would require the students to do the professor's work, but not require the professor to do the student's work (i.e., actually TAKE the exam)...

Since I know all the answers and in any case don't care what grade I would get, I would be more than happy to take the exam if the students would then do all the grading! Do we have a deal?

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